MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 161: Wonderbolts Never Die (Arc 3 Finale Part 3: Lost Way)
Pitch and weave.
Pitch and weave.
Pitch and weave.
Dash never felt more focused, or more like she had gone insane in her life. Flying at top speed through a densely packed forest that was primarily made of rock hard, jagged edges sounded like a one-way ticket to killing herself. They had been flying for less than a minute and she had already had more close calls with things she could easily have impaled herself on than she could count.
But desperation was a hell of a motivator. She had a goal locked in place, and was hell-bent on success. And by the looks of things, her squad was following her lead.
Dash shot through the crystal forest, narrowly missing certain disaster over and over again as pure instinct drove her flight path with a squeaking and whimpering Fluttershy latched to her back, clinging to her Wonderbolt suit so hard that Dash could feel it tugging around other parts of her body. She had no window of time for anything else aside from what was directly in front of her. Perhaps she could afford a glance or two, but only if properly timed.
But she didn’t need visual confirmation, the wingbeats in the air right behind her were audible. Her squadmates were with her. Squall’s steady wing pace, Little Star’s fluttering buzz, and the strong pounding of Matteo’s large wings against the air were all constant in her ears.
Yet she’d probably know regardless… because a few of her Ponyville friends weren’t quite adept to intense movement and being very vocal about it. Rarity in particular was screaming so dramatically you’d think her mane was being ripped off. Twilight was yelping similarly to Fluttershy, but Applejack was more interested in hanging on to Matteo… and probably Rarity. As for Pinkie? She was actually ahead of them, her go-kart stunt still in motion and ripping along. She had already crashed twice, but just zoomed ahead of Dash moments later each time.
Dash just paid Pinkie no mind since she seemed to know exactly how Dash was taking her route. Among her shifting and weaving, she was following a path that ran parallel to the flow of soldiers, thestrels on the trail of Sombra. She was making sure to keep just enough distance that she didn’t get caught in any of the tussles breaking out between them and the Wonderbolts or Renegades. From the looks of things, the confusion between the Wonderbolts and Renegades had not reached the fighting on the path yet. Descent’s Renegades had not caught up with the flow, Dash having left them behind after they sprang their apparent backup plan on Spitfire. All the more reason to keep moving, it was bound to get completely out of control if that cacophony caught up to them.
As they moved, Dash squinted, her eyes picking up bright flashes ahead. Blue flashes. It had to be Sombra using his magic to repel attacks or defend himself. At first she thought that was an indication they were close, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t see what was causing it. The surfaces of the trees and leaves were so reflective that any sort of light was pushed and bounced all over.
But they couldn’t have been far. She couldn’t see him… but she could feel him. She could feel Soarin’s presence growing stronger. That meant they were gaining ground. So she sharpened her focus further and kept speeding along, confident that her squadmates would be right behind her every inch of the way.
“DASH!” Matteo suddenly yelled, Dash flinching in surprise at his loud booming yell, but her ears perking up quickly. “SPITFIRE IS BEHIND US!!!!!”
Dash’s eyes went wide, but she kept them forward. She waited a few painful moments until she had just a little bit of clearing in front of her before she glanced over her shoulder.
She couldn’t hold in a gasp… because when Matteo made the declaration, she didn’t realize just how close behind their pursuers were.
Spitfire was no more than ten pony-lengths behind them… and it wasn’t just her she had ALL of the top tiers with her. Fleetfoot was formed up right behind her. Blaze, High Winds, and Air Mach were doing their best with squad three flying in an organized line formation right behind them. Some other high tiers were in tow as well, but clearly struggling to keep up with the best of the best.
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!” Fluttershy suddenly screamed shrilly directly into Dash’s ears. Dash immediately snapped her eyes forward.
“WHOA!” Dash twisted left, just barely missing a head on crash with a tree trunk. She hardened her focus and regained control as quickly as she could, continuing on the path in front of her.
“RAINBOW DASH!” Spitfire yelled from behind them. “STOP IMMEDIATLEY! THAT IS AN ORDER!!!!!”
Dash gritted her teeth.
Order? Really now… Did Spitfire really expect her to listen after what just happened?
“KEEP MOVING!” Dash yelled, addressing her squad. “GO! GO!”
Dash flinched as a white and yellow blur suddenly zipped past her as if it had been thrown or launched.
“C’MERE YOU!!!!!!!” Surprise yelled, as she shot by them and aimed for Pinkie and her go-kart just ahead of Dash.
“Oooooo! A challenger appears!” Pinkie giddily exclaimed as she tipped her head backwards to look at Surprise closing in, her go-kart still steering perfectly around the trees even though she wasn’t looking forward. The flames sputtering out the back of the engine lit the tip of her mane on fire before she could look back upright. “I’M ALL FIRED UP!” she yelled as her head was engulfed in flames… but she didn’t seem to be burning nor was her mane affected in any way.
Silliness ensued as Pinkie began zipping and turning in random directions. Surprise kept up, but despite her efforts to outsmart Pinkie with her own antics, she kept falling just short of catching her.
Any worry Dash would normally have for a friend was non-existent for Pinkie. The moment her head caught fire, Dash knew Pinkie was going to be just fine. She ignored the antics and focused all of her energy on moving forward and guiding her squad along.
But with periodic glances behind her… it was clear confrontation would likely be unavoidable.
Spitfire and Fleetfoot were catching up, proving that their rank held weight as the rest struggled to close the distance at the same pace. The rest of the top tiers were keeping their pace, but not gaining much ground as they dipped, weaved, and turned through the trees. But, a lot of the high tiers behind them were disengaging? By the looks of things, they were breaking off and heading towards the mess of struggles they were flying parallel to, looking to assist the Wonderbolts that were caught in fights with the crystal guards or thestrels. Some of them appeared to be more worried about their fellow Wonderbolts than Spitfire’s mad pursuit of Dash…
Only Fleetfoot was keeping up with Spitfire as the two kept closing the gap. Dash knew they couldn’t outfly them… the only thing that was keeping them ahead at the moment was her desperation to succeed and her wingmates’ willingness to help their captain in need.
But no amount of willpower or emotion would give her an edge over these two. Dash steeled herself, knowing she might have to make an abrupt stop and take a stand. It was only going to be a matter of seconds before Spitfire was within reaching distance of Matteo and…
Dash blinked as she glanced over her shoulder again.
Spitfire had picked up the pace?! And… she had flown right by Matteo and Squall, now catching up to Star. Spitfire’s eyes were locked directly on her… she was moving right past all her wingmates!
Dash had nearly forgotten that Spitfire was like her… able to copy techniques of others, only she was about ten times better at it. She must’ve used one of the many midair acceleration techniques they had at their disposal the moment Dash had turned away.
Spitfire pounded her wings with hard, strong strokes. She was mixing High Winds’ and Matteo’s wing movements together to propel herself forward with hard efforts and causing bursts of wind in her wake that slammed against Dash’s wingmates and even hindered Fleetfoot a little.
Dash glanced again and again, gritting her teeth as Spitfire kept making her way forward and started moving up to place herself parallel to her.
Eventually… they were flying side by side, Spitfire shooting glares at her as she appeared to wait for just the right moment to make a move without crashing into something ahead of them.
Dash had no idea what to do. She had to keep moving, and she had to protect her friends from Ponyville… she couldn’t do that while also fighting Spitfire!
Spitfire tipped away… then growled loudly while shifting back hard, looking to ram right into her. With no other option, Dash tensed her body, waiting for impact.
But then Descent suddenly shot in from between nearby trees, slipping right between the two of them and intercepting Spitfire before she could hit her.
Dash blinked in surprise as the two got tangled in the air. When she saw Spitfire and the Wonderbolts in pursuit, she assumed the Renegades had been left behind. But it looked like Descent wasn’t giving up. His quick intervention allowed Dash to pull ahead again. But Spitfire was not deterred.
“RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGH!” She yelled as she hooked Descent’s arm, pulled him underneath her body, and slammed her hooves into his side. The blow sent him hard into the ground right beneath them in a very rough and violent crash.
“GAH! AGH!” Descent grunted painfully as he bounced and tumbled. But before his momentum stopped, he punched at the ground as he rolled upright to push himself back into the air and follow after Spitfire again. She had clearly believed she had left him in the dust because all of her focus was on Dash again, the loud BANGS and POWS of air pockets bursting behind her rustling the leaves of the trees as she executed one acceleration move after the next.
“Ah! HEY!” Fleetfoot yelped as she was hit by the shockwaves, Spitfire’s moves once again pushing her off course. But Spitfire didn’t pay her any mind… nor did she see Descent catching up again.
Dash glanced over her shoulder to see the chase, finally catching a glimpse of how Descent was moving up so quickly. Loud crackling noises from nearby trees rung out as Descent kicked his hooves off the trees as he passed them in a way that resembled… Storm’s Surface Tap technique? He was using his son’s own moves to propel himself forward and keep on Spitfire.
He caught up to her again, shooting above her and hooking an arm around her neck. Spitfire’s reaction was quick, shooting an arm up to stop him from getting a clean hold before he tightened his grip. They kept weaving and moving to dodge the trees despite being caught in a struggle.
“DESCENT!” Spitfire roared. “BACK OFF!”
“MAKE ME!” Descent shot back as they continued to struggle.
“WHOA!” Blaze suddenly yelled out behind them. Dash shot a quick glance over her shoulder to see Lightning Dust shoot in front of her and High Winds. She shifted and forced them to redirect, causing High Winds to crash right into Misty Fly as Blaze split off the other direction. They quickly fell behind.
But before she could get excited, Dash’s eyes widened as she spotted Fleetfoot. Her record breaking speed was keeping her in the chase despite being tossed around by Spitfire’s wind blasts. Not even the tight maneuvers between the trees could slow her down with her shifty, speedy agility. She had quietly made her way right up behind Matteo as Spitfire and Descent had drawn away most of the attention… and she was focused on the two mares riding on his back with a hoof outstretched. She was inches away from grabbing Rarity by the tail!
But a purple hoof shot in and grabbed her arm.
“What the—?!” Fleetfoot looked to her side to see Starry Skies right beside her, gripping her arm. Their wings clashed, Starry’s strength proving to be greater than Fleetfoot’s as her wings kept in motion while Fleetfoot’s body was nearly turned sideways by the force. But Starry held on tight to Fleetfoot’s arm, forcing them both away from Matteo and right into the flight path of the Streak twins, forcing them to break off course and get in the way of Air Mach in the process.
“DON’T STOP! WE’LL KEEP THEM OFF YOU!” Descent shouted to Dash as he continued to struggle with Spitfire. Dash had already refocused on not crashing into trees but she heard him loud and clear. She nodded firmly as if she was looking Descent right in the eye and kept going as fast as she could manage, her squad keeping up behind her despite the forest growing denser and denser the closer they go to the edge.
All of the top tier Wonderbolts were still on their tail. The efforts to hinder those behind had slowed them down, but they were top bolts for a reason, making up the briefly lost ground quickly through precise and skillful maneuvers.
Descent, Starry, and Dust did everything in their power to keep the best of the best Wonderbolts at bay… though, in reality it was Starry and Dust struggling to stop eight Wonderbolts at once with Descent forced to focus all of his effort on the most dangerous one of all.
Despite being told to keep going, Dash felt the need to do something. There just happened to be one little mare flying with her that didn’t have a passenger to worry about.
“Star!” Dash yelled back to Little Star while keeping her eyes forward. “Get back there and help them!” she ordered, hoping to provide some assistance.
“Right!” Star nodded, catching on to Dash’s reasoning quickly. After a quick look over her shoulder, she spun around and put on the brakes, holding her little wings out to resist her forward momentum. She slowed down abruptly and seconds later, was flying right towards Fire Streak’s face. Before Fire could react, Star had slammed into his head and latched herself to his face.
“GAH!” Fire yelped in surprise, running into Air Mach as he was thrown off course.
The distraction was brief, Fire quickly reaching up and pulling Star from his face, tossing her aside. But she quickly used her hover-fluttering prowess to remain in the air and quickly zipped into the moving fray to assist Starry and Dust.
It wouldn’t stop them, but Dash was certain one more pony would at least help even the odds a little. Three trying to stop eight was better than two. Or… actually it was more like seven, since Surprise was still trying to catch Pinkie Pie ahead of them. Despite Surprise’s equal ability to engage in shenanigans, Pinkie was just enough steps ahead to elude her.
Dash forced herself to keep her eyes forward as Star’s voice joined the grunts and gasps of the struggle behind her. She was worried about her, but she trusted her. Star was a capable little ball of toughness and could handle herself. She was already worrying enough about her Ponyville friends including the jittering, yelping, and whimpering Fluttershy that was clinging to her back for dear life. She also had to worry about, well, not dying from a head on collision with the very solid surfaces whipping by her as she flew.
Squall and Matteo were keeping up with her. It was no surprise that Squall was keeping the pace, but it was a wonder that Matteo had not fallen behind at all. The flight path was becoming an unbelievably tight fit for his large body, and he was carrying two mares on his back on top of it. His suit had a few rips and tears in it from close calls, but he was still with them.
Their focus on success was just as strong as Dash’s, her wingmates drawing the determination from her as she forged on.
The blue flashes of light ahead of them were growing brighter. The rays of light were bouncing and reflecting everywhere, but the intensity had increased. They had to be closing in. It didn’t take her all that long to be freed from Spitfire and Sombra was…
Dash blinked as she recalled Sombra’s escape. He had Soarin’s wings, but he retreated on hoof. She had no idea why, maybe he didn’t know how to use them? Either way, being grounded meant he was RUNNING from those flying after him and likely fending off Luna, P.L., and maybe thestrels and crystal guardsmen in the process. Or at the very least the thestrels and guardsmen that weren’t caught tangling with Wonderbolts or Renegades. Being on hoof also meant they’d catch up quickly as long as they kept moving.
The flashes were growing brighter still. They were closing in. There was no mistaking that it was Sombra’s magic, now they just had to—
Dash’s ears stood up, her eyes widening as she heard a sound that she was SURE she had heard not too long ago.
Loud, shrill noises… PINGs and PANGs… and they were growing louder!
“INCOMING!!!!!!!!!” Dash yelled as loud as she could.
Not only did Dash’s squad perk up… but there was a sudden lull in the scuffle behind them as well. Spitfire and Descent both looked in her direction as did the rest of them.
Everypony let go of everypony and scattered as countless light blue beams of magic began surging by, bouncing off the crystal surfaces and crashing to the ground. Pinkie and Surprise surged ahead like it was nothing, but Dash and the rest were abruptly forced to slow down and take extreme evasive action.
“STAY TOGETHER! STAY TOGETHER!” Dash yelled, as she fought to stay on course despite being thrown way off her path. Squall grunted and twisted to avoid a few magic beams passing by him, but he was almost dragged to the ground as his maneuver nearly threw Twilight off of his back.
“AHHH!” Twilight yelped as she clung to Squall’s neck, her wings flapping and flailing as she struggled to hang on. Squall grunting as she slipped right onto his wing and prevented him from flapping it. He forced himself upright with an upward flap of his other wing and bounced his hooves on the ground to keep himself in the air. He quickly tipped himself opposite of the direction Twilight was falling to shift her back onto his back.
Dash stole a quick glance towards him she pitched back and forth so rapidly that she was almost getting dizzy. Carrying Fluttershy felt like she had nothing on her back at all, but she worried for Squall and Matteo. Squall had managed… he was coming around and staying with her with Twilight in tow, but she had lost sight of Matteo. He had been swallowed up among the streaming blue lights, kicked up dust and explosions shooting up all over along with her pursuers and defenders moving all over the place behind. She could see Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Descent still, the rest popping up here and there but otherwise lost in the cacophony behind. Fleetfoot looked like she was more worried about saving her own hide, but Spitfire was still focused on Dash, trying to make her way through the barrage of magic with Descent still in tow.
Where was Matteo?! Dash couldn’t see him among the carnage, nor had he somehow managed to slip ahead of them. Was he forced to slow down since he was carrying Rarity and Applejack? It wasn’t like Rarity was much of a load to haul. Applejack… well, she was bulkier and heavier but Dash had seen Matteo hit numbers in the gym that were at least three time’s Applejack’s weight. Hopefully he didn’t lose either of the two mares. Applejack was strong enough to hang on, but Rarity? She wasn’t known for physical prowess…
But Dash’s distracting worries were put to rest as Rarity’s shrill, dramatic scream became audible from within the mess and slowly grew louder until Matteo suddenly burst right through the center of the madness. He had his arms crossed in front of his face as he willingly charged headlong into the magic beams shooting in the other direction, forcing his way through the barrage instead of trying to avoid it. His arms and body were being struck by the magic, small explosions peppering his body and ripping the sleeves, hood, and chest section of his suit to shreds as he pumped his wings and surged ahead.
“GGRRRRAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!” He growled fiercely as he gritted his beak and toughed his way through the hazards to catch up. He flew right past Descent and put himself between Spitfire and Fleetfoot. With an extra effort, he thrust his arms out and grabbed them both by the arm in his talon shanks.
“What the—?!” Spitfire blinked in surprise, so focused on Dash that didn’t notice Matteo right beside her until he had already grabbed her.
“HRPMH!” Matteo yanked Fleetfoot right out of the air, swinging her around the front of his body towards Spitfire.
“YeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!” Fleetfoot shrieked as she was whipped around, Matteo aiming to hit Spitfire with her own squadmate.
But Matteo wasn’t trying to hit just ANY Wonderbolt.
But right before Fleetfoot hit her, Spitfire turned all her attention to her wingmate. With her free arm, Spitfire reached out and placed a hoof on Fleetfoot’s back. Her timing of placement was perfectly, tensing her arm and bending it back to completely cushion Fleetfoot’s momentum as if she had hit a soft surface.
“What?!” Matteo’s eyes widened after his attempt yielded zero results, and he had already let go of Fleetfoot. Spitfire lightly bounced Fleetfoot into the air, allowing her to easily twist and regain control of her flight before any magic beams could strike her.
It was like watching something out of a magic show. Matteo’s eyes were stuck open wide as Spitfire executed the ridiculously complex motion with ease to prevent Fleetfoot from taking any damage whatsoever… while also remaining upright and on path and resisting his pull all at the same time.
Spitfire scowled at Matteo, and before he could let go of her arm, she wound up her now free hoof and swung it around, delivering a strong arm chop right to Matteo’s forearm…
A very strong arm chop. Accompanied by a few painful sounding CRICKS and CRACKS.
“ARGH!!!!!!” Matteo grunted painfully.
“MATTY!” Dash yelled as she glanced back and saw him grimacing in pain, pulling his arm back and cradling it with the other as he drifted away from Spitfire. He somehow kept his wings pumping and forged forward through the magic that continued to pepper him as visible, extreme discomfort spread all over his face.
Dash didn’t know what to do, if she slowed down, Spitfire would catch her, but it looked like Spitfire was…
It was too late, Spitfire was already following up, swerving towards Matteo! She was winding up again and her eyes were locked right on his head! She was going to—!
“I DON’T THINK SO!” Applejack’s voice suddenly boomed as she held tight to Matteo’s neck, swung her lower body over the top of Rarity, and thrust a strong kick towards Spitfire.
“OOF!” Spitfire grunted, throwing an arm up in the nick of time to absorb the hit, but Applejack’s strength pushed her hard, sending her away from Matteo and nearly right into a tree.
“That’ll teach ya!” Applejack taunted as Spitfire evened out and was forced to pitch further away before grappling with Descent again. “Keep going big fella!” Applejack yelled to Matteo as she swung back over onto his back.
Rarity was still screaming.
“AND GOSH DARN IT, WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT?!” Applejack yelled as she grabbed her hat and yanked it down over Rarity’s head.
Ignoring the argument that ensued on his back, Matteo pushed on, toughing his way through the magic just a little more until he caught up with Dash and Squall, still cradling his arm.
“Matty!!!” Dash yelled as she formed up next to him, remaining mindful of incoming magic as he finally began dodging as well. His eyes were locked forward, concentrating despite his limp arm. “Your arm! Are you okay?!”
“IT’S FINE!” Matteo yelled without looking at her. “It’s just… rgh…” He grimaced. “It’s probably fractured. I can still move it.”
Dash gritted her teeth, stealing glances at him, but he shook his head.
“It’s not important! We can’t stop now anyway!” he reminded her… even though she didn’t need to be. Dash swallowed and forced her eyes forward, even more thankful than ever for her squadmates.
“Hey, bird-brain!” Squall suddenly formed up on the other side of him. “Quit crying like a bitch and suck it up!” he yelled. Dash was about to shoot him a glare, but Matteo scoffed loudly.
“Save your jests! I’ve taken worse hits from my wife!” Matteo shot back before pumping his wings harder and surging ahead, Squall following right behind. Dash cracked a smirk as she sped up as well, confident that they could build a solid lead on the rest with them all caught in the mix-up behind them. She just hoped Star was doing alright.
“Dash! Ahead of us!” Matteo suddenly yelled as they kept on. Dash blinked, but she couldn’t see much past the trees and barrage of magic.
“What is it?!” she asked as she twirled and twisted to avoid incoming beams and trees.
“Sombra! The Princesses and their knights! And guardsmen! All straight ahead!” Matteo clarified.
Again, Dash squinted, looking as hard as she could, but she couldn’t see past the flashes, tress, and barrage of magic.
But duh… of course she couldn’t see anything. She was talking to the one with the eagle eyes.
“Matty, take point! GO!” Dash yelled, a rush of adrenaline filling her body as Matteo managed to spot their target ahead.
They kept on dodging and weaving, steeling themselves and keeping their eyes forward as the noises of struggle continued behind them. They had pulled ahead, but Spitfire and Descent’s voices could still clearly be heard. But Dash held strong, Matteo and Squall feeding off her determination as they surged ahead.
And… their efforts slowly paid off.
“I see them!” Dash yelled as they kept moving. She could finally see Sombra among the flashing lights. Luna came into view as well, her darker colors standing out among the light blue trees. P.L., Shining Armor, and Cadence were in pursuit as well with several crystal Guardsmen and Thestrals all in tow. It was hard to get a clear view, but she could make out their shapes and movements.
By the looks of things, neither Luna, Shining, nor Cadence were using their magic at all despite Sombra spraying every tree he passed with small bursts of magic. It was preventing them from getting near him as he continued to gallop along.
Dash was right, he was galloping. Maybe he really didn’t know how to use Soarin’s wings.
But then Dash perked up as she noticed something else. The edge of the forest was growing near. And while the forest was allowing Sombra to fend them off, it was also preventing him from unleashing his power in full. If he got out into the open…
“GO! CATCH THEM!” Dash yelled out, doing her best to speed up without losing maneuverability. Squall and Matteo followed right behind her.
Dash glanced ahead and to her right briefly…
“WILL YOU JUST SIT STILL?!” Surprise yelled as she dove at the ground and missed horribly as Pinkie sped by in her go-kart.
“NO CAN DO!” Pinkie giggled as she drifted to and fro around the trees.
It was still going on. Well, at least Pinkie was staying on task… in her own way.
Dash focused her eyes forward, as long as they kept up their pace, stayed on rack, and kept avoiding the incoming magic…
On a whim, Dash decided to check the other direction. To her right was the shenanigans between silly ponies… but then Dash glanced to her left, and time seemed to slow down.
When?
How?
Spitfire was suddenly right there… right on the other side of Squall! She had snuck up on them from the left and Descent was nowhere to be found!
Neither Matteo, nor Squall were looking at her, both focused on moving forward.
Dash had roughly a moment of time to react… Spitfire was reaching for Squall? No, she was reaching for Twilight!
Without an instant of hesitation, Dash halted her left wing and beat her right down hard. Using the technique of her missing squadmate to twist and shift towards Matteo. Through pure luck, she had pushed at the moment that Matteo’s wings were down and she zipped right over the top of Rarity and Applejack. Fluttershy shrieked as Dash made the sudden move, squeezing her little arms around Dash’s neck… but Dash had no choice, if she had waited any longer she wouldn’t even have a chance to prevent it.
Her aim appeared to be slightly short. She was on a collision course with Squall. Dash gritted her teeth, realizing she was going to collide with Twilight on Squall’s back. All she could do was hope Twilight was hanging on tight enough.
Twilight yelped as Dash crashed into her, bouncing off her back. Squall grunted in surprise as Dash glanced off his passenger and…
“RAAAAH!” Dash yelled as she extended her leg and swung it around. She ran into Squall’s lifted wing, but pushed it completely aside as she threw the kick towards Spitfire.
But by the time Dash was turned enough to see her target… Spitfire was… reaching for her leg?
Realization dawned on her as Spitfire grabbed her by the back hoof…
She had just gotten baited hard.
Dash immediately folded her wings up high over her back to cover Fluttershy as Spitfire yanked her in, grabbed her by the shoulder and body slammed Dash into the ground below them.
“GAH!” Dash grunted in pain as her face was pressed right to the ground, the hood of her mask was yanked awkwardly and torn completely off with a loud RIP as the shreds were left behind in their wake. Shrill squeaks of fear from Fluttershy squeezed between her closed wings as Dash was turned and her right side was dragged painfully along until they slowed to a stop.
“DASH!” Squall yelled as he and Matteo came to an abrupt halt. Matteo’s eyes went wide as they landed. He quickly arched onto his hind legs, throwing both Rarity and Applejack off of his back before stepping forward, facing all of them. He turned his back to the magic barrage and opened his large wings to shield them all as he grunted from the rapid pelting that ensued.
Squall frantically looked back and forth between Dash and Matteo.
“What are you looking at me for?!” Matteo growled at him as he grimaced and grunted. “HELP HER!”
“Go!” Twilight suddenly said as she jumped off Squall’s back. “I’ll take care of this!”
Squall blinked and watched as Twilight shifted around Matteo, her magic gathering into her horn. With a flick of her neck, the magic shot out and expanded, creating a large shield that anchored into the ground. She gritted her teeth, her legs shaking as the shield was pelted by Sombra’s magic, but it freed Matteo. He gasped and fell forward, barely supporting himself with his good arm as the other remained gingerly against his body. Applejack and Rarity quickly reached up and helped support him, Rarity almost instantly buckling under his weight until she activated her magic, but Applejack held up just fine.
Squall quickly turned towards Dash and Spitfire struggling on the ground, gritting his teeth and taking flight towards them. Dash had no advantage, she was under Spitfire, she was smaller than Spitfire, weaker than Spitfire, and she was also clamping her wings down to protect Fluttershy. He had to even the odds!
But as he drew near, a light blue blur appeared over the top of Spitfire. Squall blinked… and the moment his eyes were open again, Fleetfoot was right in his face.
“OOF!” Squall grunted as Fleetfoot rammed him in the chest, her speed making up for her lack of size and weight as Squall felt like he had just been hit by train moving in the opposite direction. Fleetfoot disengaged after connecting for half a second, moving aside as Squall tumbled out of the air and hit the ground hard, bouncing a few times before coming to a halt. He tried to force himself up quickly, but Fleetfoot came around and drove her hooves into his back, keeping him down.
Dash had one eye open as she strained against Spitfire’s strength, and it widened as she saw Squall pinned in an unfavorable position just like she was. She could also see Matteo being supported by her friends further back. The situation had gone from in their grasp to worst case in a matter of seconds.
It wasn’t long until the sounds of all the scuffling they had left behind had returned and were growing louder.
Dash couldn’t see much from her point of view, but Lightning Dust suddenly crashed to the ground on her back near them, quickly rolling onto her hooves and lifting off before High Winds slammed to the ground from above.
Dash turned her head the other direction as she tried and failed to get out from beneath Spitfire. On their other side, Starry Skies whisked by them. A loud painful noise of a hoof connecting to a face rang out shortly after with Starry tumbling back the way she came from. She got to her hooves and leapt backwards as Misty Fly zoomed by in pursuit, the Streak twins right behind her.
“RRRRRGHHHH!!!!” Dash growled as she shook her body, trying to force herself free of Spitfire’s hold. She threw an elbow back, knocking one of Spitfire’s arms free and pushing herself up. Her wings lost their grip on Fluttershy as she rose and pushed against Spitfire. The little Pegasus squeaked and tumbled to the ground, curling up and shaking on the ground beneath Dash and Spitfire as their hoofs beat the ground around her in their struggle. Spitfire eventually got a hold of Dash and pushed her up onto her hind legs, growling as she charged forward. Dash tried to dig her hooves into the ground, but she never got enough leverage. Spitfire pushed her back further and further, her hooves slipping and sliding along the ground until Spitfire slammed her back into a nearby crystal tree. “GAAAAH!!!” Dash cried out as she was sandwiched between the tree and Spitfire’s strength.
“STAND DOWN, DASH!” Spitfire yelled into her face. “You can’t win this fight! GIVE IT UP!”
Dash’s eyes widened.
Give it up?
Spitfire was telling her to give up?
Dash growled, glaring right into Spitfire’s eyes as she gritted her teeth and managed to grab one of Spitfire’s arms with her hoof.
“N…NO!” Dash yelled.
“DAMMIT DASH! I SAID FORGET IT!” Spitfire spat right back.
“NO!” Dash refused again, yanking as hard as she could as she sharpened her glare further.
“GIVE… UP!!!!!!!!!!!” Spitfire repeated as she knocked Dash’s hoof away and delivered a jab to Dash’s stomach. Dash gasped in pain, but refused to hunch over or show any weakness. She tried to force herself forward again, but Spitfire picked her up a little and slammed her again, pressing Dash’s back against the tree. Spitfire pressed a hoof to her neck and applied an uncomfortable amount of pressure while holding her still.
“N…N…” Dash struggled, her eyes twitching as it got harder to breathe. Spitfire wasn’t using lethal force, but damn it hurt.
Give up, huh?
It was hard to believe who she was hearing this from… from the mare she was supposed to respect as a leader, as a motivator.
The very leader that had lost control of both herself and everything happening around them right now. She wasn’t the only one at fault, not by a longshot… but the current state of the Wonderbolts and the reason Dash had decided to break away? It was her.
She refused to let Spitfire tell her what to do… not right here and now.
Give up?
Give in?
Let go?
Did Spitfire even know who she was talking to?
Silver didn’t give up when everything was set against him… He got his face beaten against a wall and a whole wing ripped off while fighting a battle he couldn’t win… for something he believed was right.
Silver would NEVER give up… so why the hell would she?!
“NEVER!” Dash yelled as she suddenly pushed hard against Spitfire.
“RGH!” Spitfire grunted in surprise as Dash managed to jostle her a little. But Spitfire was having none of it, she pushed right back down, using her superior strength and size to keep Dash pinned. She pressed a hoof harder to Dash’s neck to disrupt her breathing and keep her from gathering her strength.
But as Spitfire held her and looked directly into her eyes…
Spitfire didn’t know what it was… there was a sudden rush of thoughts flowing through her mind paired with a rush of emotion. She couldn’t pinpoint what kind of emotion, but it was being caused by Dash… by the way Dash was looking at her.
It reminded her of… something. All the fighting and cacophony around them seemed to fade as Spitfire’s thoughts zeroed in on what she was feeling. Her hardened glare didn’t waver, but her eyelids began to subtly shake as her thoughts raced.
The look on Dash’s face and in her eyes… it was making her feel upset? Making her feel like she had messed up? Like she had made a mistake? All of these things, but in a very specific and particular way.
The feeling wasn’t a mystery to her. She was able to pinpoint it quickly.
It was the same feeling one got when somepony they respected was disappointed in them. When somepony they looked up to was ashamed of them.
Why?
How in Equestria… was Dash making her feel this way? It was as if she had seen that very same glare before from somepony else…
Whatever it was… it had torn her awareness of her surroundings away completely. And because of that, she had no idea that a certain combative stallion was shooting towards her at an alarming speed.
“ARGH!” Spitfire grunted in surprise as Descent blindsided her, ripping her completely free of Dash before the two tumbled to the ground and began grappling each other.
Dash fell forward, landing on her stomach as she panted and gasped for air. She pushed herself up and her eyes widened when she got a good look at Descent.
His goggles were gone, his suit was severely ripped up, showing off a lot of his scars, and his face was bloody, VERY bloody.
“GRH! HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH?!” Spitfire roared as the two got to their hooves and began pushing against one another.
“I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH!” Descent shot back as he forcefully held her in place. “KEEP GOING, DASH!” he yelled to her. “DON’T LOOK BACK!”
Dash swallowed, nodding briefly before she quickly turned and made a break for her squadmates, scooping up Fluttershy from the ground with her wing as she passed.
“MEEP!” Fluttershy squeaked and somehow curled up more, but Dash quickly placed her on her back.
“It’s me, Fluttershy, we’re in the clear, hang on!” Dash yelled back to her. In an instant she felt Fluttershy’s little arms grab hold of her neck again, so Dash focused on the rest of the mess she had to clean up. She didn’t take flight just yet, weaving back and forth as the beams of magic continued to fly, though the intensity had weakened, suggesting Sombra had gotten further away.
She had no time to dawdle. Matteo was not under duress, but looked like he was still in pain while being propped up by Rarity’s magic and Applejack with Twilight still shielding them all. She just had to free up Squall, who was currently being kept down by… Fleetfoot?
The thought of Fleetfoot overpowering Squall was as ridiculous as it sounded, but by the looks of things, Fleetfoot had put her superior skill to work. She had him thoroughly locked in a very bent and awkward position, holding one of his arms outstretched with her front hooves and… had Squall’s neck locked tight between her thighs. Of course she knew how to use her thighs effectively…
Though Squall seemed unaffected by the suggestive maneuver and instead was trying, and failing, to get any leverage on her at all. Dash charged towards them to help, but she wouldn’t have time to fight Fleetfoot. She needed a way to get her off him quickly and put her in a position where she couldn’t recover fast. Fleetfoot was all about speed. Any slip up and she’d be on them again in an instant.
As she continued her approach, Dash glanced to her left… her eyes widening as she saw Blaze nearby holding Little Star to the ground and yelling all sorts of colorful words at her. And her mane was on fire with small flames in three different places, but she didn’t seem to notice.
With little time to think and only few, rather specific options at her disposal, Dash thought up a plan quickly.
“Hey Fleet!” Dash yelled as she grabbed Fleetfoot’s shoulder with one hoof. Fleetfoot flinched in surprised and looked up at Dash. “You can blame Soarin for this one.”
Dash thrust her other hoof over Fleetfoot’s body and pressed hard on a spot high up Fleetfoot’s inner thigh, rubbing it vigorously for all of one second before—
“AAAIIIIYYEEEYYYEEEE!!!!!” Fleetfoot released a very odd, high pitched noise as her body shook with jitters, her face turned bright red, and her legs immediately released Squall’s head. “Oo, ah, eeeeeee!” she continued to squeak and yelp as she curled her body in and hugged her arms around her stomach. With Fleetfoot stuck in a moment of strong sweet spot spasms, Dash hooked her arm underneath Fleetfoot, and shifted her weight to lift her up on her shoulder as she continued to shudder with her eyes wide.
“BLAZE!” Dash yelled as she turned, taking care not to let Fleetfoot swing and smush Fluttershy. “FLEET NEEDS A DIDDLE!” she yelled before winding up and throwing the squeaking Fleetfoot in Blaze’s direction
Blaze’s ears folded backwards and her eye twitched as she turned towards Dash.
“Fucking wha—OH SHI—!” Blaze yelped as Fleetfoot slammed right into her, snuffing out the flames in her mane and knocking her right off of Star.
“Squall, come on!” Dash turned right back to Squall and helped him up and rubbed his neck. He had a mortified look on his face.
“I feel completely violated,” he said in disgust, but Dash couldn’t hold back a smirk.
“Yeah, having your head stuck in the crotch of the Wonderbolt poster girl sure was bad, wasn’t it?” Dash said with some slight snark, giving him no time to retort as she quickly turned and galloped back towards Matteo.
Squall followed with Little Star rejoining them as they quickly shifted their path to line it up with Twilight’s shield. Magic beams were still flying and bouncing off the trees, just not nearly as intensely as they had been minutes ago due to their pursuit being halted. They skidded to a halt in front of Matteo, Dash looking over the hunched griffon as he was still supported by Rarity’s magic and Applejack.
“We gotta move!” Dash yelled as she placed a hoof on Matteo’s side. “You still with us, big guy?!”
“HRMPH!” Matteo grunted as he suddenly forced himself up. Applejack and Rarity yelped, both tipping over and falling as he stood tall again, or at least tried with all his forward way still on one arm. “Never felt better!” Matteo proclaimed, sucking it up as he visibly scrunched his face in pain. Dash was ready to express concern… but quickly stopped herself. The stubborn look in Matteo’s eyes as she stared up at him told her to shut up before she even tried.
She needed his help and he wouldn’t agree to stand down anyway.
“Let’s get after it then!” she said adamantly, earning a brief smile from Matteo as she ducked around them and nearly stepped on Applejack on the way. They were all accounted for. Well, except for Pinkie, but she was probably just fine. “Twilight! Let’s—”
But Dash stopped as Twilight suddenly dropped the shield and blinked. Dash’s ears stood up and she stared in the same direction she was.
The magic beams had ceased.
“SHIT!” Dash cursed. “COME ON! WE HAVE TO MOVE NOW!”
“HMPH!” Sombra grunted as he shot out of the Crystal Forest in stride, not slowing a single step as he locked his eyes on the Crystal Empire in the distance. He snorted, hardening his glare as his heavy thundering steps slammed into the snow covered ground, kicking up large white fluffy clumps as he thundered along. Small snowflakes gently battered against his face as he charged, the light flurry of snow completing the image of his home before him
He didn’t look back. He knew he was still being pursued, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to turn and engage them, he didn’t want to waste his time. He only wanted one thing. He only had one goal… the rest could wait until after he had what was his.
But he was barely thirty yards from the forest edge when he sensed something.
His eyes widened and he slammed all four hooves into the snow, skidding to a halt as several bright flashes of purple, distorted light sparked and popped in front of him. A large mound of snow shot up from the ground, blocking his path. The purple flashes continued to blink, popping and crackling up the snow mount slowly as the snowfall surrounding them suddenly picked up, the wind whistling and the flakes growing thicker and the view of the Empire slowly fading until it was hidden by the dense snowfall.
When his hooves finally stopped sliding… Sombra looked up and around as the sudden pick up in the weather, but when his eyes landed on the snow mound that had popped up in his path. There something atop it… rather, a certain individual was standing on it and looking down on him.
Luna, Cadence, P.L. and several Pegasus guardsmen and thestrals shot out of the crystal forest behind him, but they all came to a very abrupt halt, not only surprised by the sudden appearance of a snowstorm, but also by what they saw directly in front of them.
“You…” Sombra snarled, a loud hiss rushing between his teeth as he gritted and bared them.
“D…Discord?” Luna stuttered as she stared at the peak of the snow mound and all those surrounding her hesitated to move another inch near the very dangerous standoff.
“Yes…” Discord scrunched his face as he glared down at Sombra, faint sparks of his chaos aura flaring up around his body. “Me.”
---To Be Continued---